Method of forming articles by bending the free end portions thereof



y 1958 A. J. ClHLAR ET AL 2,834,393

METHOD OF FORMING ARTICLES BY'BENDING THE FREE END PORTIONS THEREOFFiled Dec. 29, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 //z/l /V Toes ARJC/A-ZHE 79. (4/955Filed Dec. 29, 1954 May 13, 1958 J. CIHLAR ET A METHOD OF FORMINGARTICLES BY BENDING THE FREE END PORTIONS THEREOF 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 flAM.

May 13, 1958 A. J. CIHLAR ETAL METHOD OF FORMING ARTICLES BY BENDING THEFREE END PORTIONS THEREOF 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 29, 1954 5% fi i MfiTTOE/VEY May 13, 1958 A. J. CIHLAR ETAL 2,834,393

, METHOD OF FORMING ARTICLES BY BENDING THE FREE END PORTIONS THEREOFFiled Dec. 29, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 v v Wyn 702s 1 "1 I I AMC/A/AHE412,456 K By M m United States Patent M METHOD OF FORMING ARTICLES BYBENDING THE FREE END PORTIONS THEREOF Anthony J. Cihlar, Riverside, andFrank A. Klasek, La

Grange Park, 111., assignors to Western Electric Company, Incorporated,New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 29,1954, Serial No. 478,336

4 Claims. (Cl. 153-16) This invention relates to methods of formingarticles, and more particularly to methods of feeding combs of wirespring relays and bending wires of wire spring relay combs.

An object of the invention is to provide new and improved methods ofbending terminal portions of wire spring relay combs.

Another object of the invention is to provide methods of bending wiresof a wire spring relay comb sequentially to form terminal ends.

A method illustrating certainfeatures of the invention may includebending one elongated part at an edge of a plurality of groups of suchparts extending in the same plane away from the group, and then bendingthe next part of that group in the same direction as that of the firstpart.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from thefollowing detailed description of a method forming a specific embodimentthereof, when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in whichFig. l is a top plan view of a portion of an apparatus for practicing amethod forming one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2'is a vertical section taken along line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a verticalsection taken along line 33 of Fig. 1, and

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are perspective views of a wirespring relay comb inseveral stages of forming.

Refem'ng now in detail to the drawings, there is shown therein anapparatus for forming ends of wires 7, 8 and 9 (Figs. 4, 5 and 6) tohorizontal right angle bends 11, the wires projecting beyond moldedblocks 14 of wire spring relay combs 15. The apparatus includes threeforming stations 17, 18 and 19 (Fig. 1), and the right angle bends 11 inthe wires 7 are formed at the station 17, the right angle bends 11 inthe wires 8 are formed at the station 18 and the right angle bends 11 inthe wires 9 are formed at the station 19. The bends 11 in the wires 7are formed around pins 21 projecting from a bed or bottom platen 22 of atool unit replaceable in a press 23. Pins 24 and 25 are similarlymounted on the bed 22 at the stations 18 and 19, respectively, forbending the wires 8 and 9, respectively. The wires are engaged and bentaround the pins 21, 24 and 25 by dogs illustrated by a dog 28 (Fig. 3)mounted on shafts turned by crank arms 36. The dogs 28 and the crankarms 36 are mounted by a shaft 29 pivotally about the center of theshaft 35 on an upper platen 37 of the tool unit 20.

The combs 15 are fed from right to left, as viewed in Fig. 2, by a feedbar 60 adjustably fastened by a connector 61 to a piston rod 62 of apiston 63 mounted in a pneumatic cylinder 64 controlled by a suitablefour-way valve (not shown). The cylinder 64 and the piston 63reciprocate the rod 62, and, each time the rod 62 is reciprocated, feedpawls 65 engage and push the blocks of the combs 15 to the left adistance just sutficient to move the combs from one station to the next.'Each time thefeed bar 60 is retracted, the pawls 65 ride over the combs15 without moving the combs, the combs .being held against 2,834,393Patented May 13, 1958 2 movement back with the feed bar by holding pawls71 mounted on a resiliently mounted plate 72 and pawls 73 mounted on afixed plate 74.

After each feeding movement and retraction of the bar 60, the press 23is operated and an upper platen 81 thereof carrying the platen 37 ismoved downwardly to move sockets 101.

the plate 72 against springs 79 through push rods 82 downwardly out ofthe plane of the plate 74 and a feeding station plate 75. The springs 79are mounted on rods 83 slidable in bores 84, and are seated incounterbores 85 in a fixed base plate 86 to which the lower platen 22 issecured. The combs 15 are pressed against the plate 72 by leaf springs91, and the wires 7, 8 and 9 of the combs 15 are moved over the pins 21,24 and 25. Downward movement of the plate 72 is limited by a block 92which supports tapered locating pins 93 projecting into bores 94 in theplate 72. As the plate 72 is moved downwardly from its uppermost or feedposition to its lower- -most or work position, the blocks 14 of thecombs 15 carried thereby are moved over the pins 93, which enterclose-fitting bores 97 to precisely and firmly locate the combs 15 onthe plate 72. Three sets of presser rods 98, urged downwardly in bores99 in the platen 81 by springs 100, are mounted in alignment with thepins 93 and receive the tapered ends of the pins 93 in complementary Thepresser rods 98 aid the springs 91 in keeping the blocks 14 seated onthe plate 72 as the plate 72 is lowered.

The feed bar 60 (Figs. 1 and 3) is supported by a fixed, rigid guiderail 111 and pairs of tapered rollers 112 mounted on bearings 113 andhaving tapered or frusto-conical portions 114 ro'llable along taperedupper surfaces 115 of the rail 111. The rollers 112 are mountedrotatably onplates 117 bracketing the rail 111 and fixed to the feed bar60 to form a trolley type suspension for the bar 60. The rail 111 isrigid, and is supported at its ends by fixed brackets 121 and 122. Thearcuate holddown springs 91 are carried by brackets 123 fixed to theplate 72, and leaf springs 124 fixed to the feed bar 60 press againstthe bottom of the rail 111'to urge the feed bar to a predetermined levellimited by the rollers 112 and the rail 111. The springs 124 permitupward movement of the bar 60 by warped or'dislocated blocks 14. Theupward movement of the plate 72 by the springs 79 is limited by lapjoint type projections 128 and 129 on the plate 72 which engagecomplementary projections 130 and 131, respectively, on the fixed plates74 and 75 forming slides for the combs at opposite ends of the plate 72.

The upper platen 37 of the press 23 carries by mounting pins or bolts(not shown) assembly plates or bars 141, 142 and 143 (Fig. 3) thereon,which are urged downwardly away from the platen 37 by compressionsprings- (not shown). As the platen 37 is moved downwardly, it moves theplate 72 downwardly to a stop 145 to move the wires 7, 8 and 9 to thepins 21, 24 and 25, recesses 151 being provided in a block on the platen22 for clearance for the ends of the wires, which have 30 downwardlydirected bends 152 (Fig. 4) therein so that b they may travel underadjacent groups of wires as the 90 horizontal bends are formed therein.Supports 155, 156 and 157 (Fig. 3) having sloping or relieved portions158, 159 and 160 support the wires 7, 8 and 9 to keep the wiresfromslipping downwardly out of contact with the dogs after the dogs arebrought down into the plane of the wires and are actuated to bend thewires around the pins 21, 24 and 25. The sloping portionsextend on twoadjacent sides of the pins 21, 24 and 25 to support the wires throughouttheir bending movement. The tool unit 20 (Fig. 3) includes a cam orwedge 181 carried with the platen 37 for pushing, when lowered, a camfollower (not shown) to push a horizontally movable actuating slide 184along a guideway 185 formed in the plate 143. The slide 184 is returnedon the up stroke of the platen by springs (not shown). The slide 184turns the crank arms 36 through pins 189 during the latter portion ofthe downward stroke of the platen to bend the wires 7, 8 and 9 engagedby the dogs 28 90 horizontally, as described more fully and claimed inour copending application Serial No. 478,337, filed on December 29,1954, for Apparatus for Forming Articles, The plate 143 normally isurged downwardly away from the platen 37, and as the platen 37 startsback up, the plates 141,142 and 143 remain down against the block 150until the cam 181 has retracted and the slide 184 has returned the crankarms 36 to their normal, wire-clearing positions. Then the plates 141,142 and 143 are lifted upwardly from the block 150, and from the plate72 (Fig. after the plate 72 is stopped by the plates 74 and 75. Thepiston 63 (Fig. 2) then may be actuated to reciprocate the feed bar 60and feed each of the combs one station to the left, as viewed in Fig. 2.On the forward stroke of the feed bar 60, the furthermost right comb atthe feed position is fed under the holddown springs 91 to the station'17, and each of the combs 15 are fed one station to the left. On theretracting stroke of the feed bar 60, the pawls 71 and 73 keep the combsfrom being pulled back to the right.

Operation The combs 15, prior to arrival at the press 23, have spades201 (Figs. 4, 5 and 6) formed thereon and the vertical bends 152 aremade at progressively farther points from the block 14 proceeding fromthe wires 7 to the wires 9. The bends 152 also are provided prior to thearrival at the press that, as the bends 11 are formed, the spadeportions 201 will pass under and not be obstructed by adjacent groups ofwires 205 and 206. Each comb is pushed by the bar 60step-by-step fromthe station to the right of the station 17, as viewed in Fig. 2, fromthe station 17 to the station 18, from the station 18 to the station 19and from the station 19 to the station to the left thereof. The press 23is reciprocated between each feeding movement. On each downward movementof the platen '81, the rods 82 first push the plate 72 against the stop145 and the plate 14.1 (Fig. 3) against the block 150. The rods 98 pushthe blocks 14 down on the alignment pins 93 (Fig. 2) to precisely locatethe combs 15, and the wires 7, 8 and 9 rest on the supports 1'55, 156and 157 in the recesses 151. On further downward movement of the platen81, the cam 181 actuates the actuating slide 184 to swing the crank arms36 to bend the wires 7, 8 and 9 to form the 90 horizontal bends 11, thespades 201 and end'portions of the wires swinging under the wires 205and 206 as the bends are formed. The supports 155, 156 and 157 supportthe wires as the bends ll are formed. The bends 11 in the wires 7 areformed at the station 17, those in the wires 8 at the station 18 andthose in the wires 9 at the station 19.

After the combs 15 have been moved outof the press 23, another press(not shown) forms bends corresponding to the bends 11 in the wires 205and 206 after 30 bends corresponding to the bends 152 have been made.Another press (not shown) then bends the wires 7, 8, 9, 205 and 206 tomake the bends 152 90". By first forming the 30 bends rather than thefull 90 vertical bends, the wires may be bent into'the 90 horizontalbends 11 without slippage on the wires by the bending dogs, which is ofparticular importance in bending the wires 7 where a very shorthorizontal portion projects beyond the bends 11. By bending the wires 7,8 and 9 at different stations and the wires 205 and 206 in a differentpress sufiicient space is provided to make the bending elements ruggedand durable.

The above-described-method rapidly forms the several bends veryaccurately, .and feeds the combs surely and precisely.

It is to'be understood that the above-described arrangementments aresimply illustrative of the application of the principles of theinvention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by thoseskilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention andfall within the spirit and scope thereof.

1 What is claimed is:

1. The method of forming terminal end portions of wires of wire springrelay combs, which comprises bending portions of wires of a plurality ofgroups of parallel wires which lie in the same plane in a directiontransversely of the plane, bending the edge wire of one grouplaterally'in said plane toward the group adjacent thereto, and thenbending the wire next to the previously bent wire of that grouplaterally in said plane into the space left by said previously bentwire.

2. The method of forming rectilinear bends in end portions of wiresextending parallelly in the same plane in groups from a block of a wirespring relay comb, which comprises bending end portions of wires of thegroups of such acomb out of the plane of the wires, and bending thewires in parallel directions through substantially in said planeproceeding from one edge of the groups through the groups at points atwhich the end portions of the bent wires extend to positions crossingthe adjacent groups of wires.

3. The method of forming rectilinear bends in end portions of ,wiresextending parallelly in the same plane in groupsfrom a block of a wirespring relay comb, which comprises bending end portions of wires of thegroups of such a comb out of the plane of the wires through apredetermined angle, bending the wires each in parallel directionsthrough an angle in said plane proceeding from one edge of the groupsthrough the groups at points at which the end portions of the bent wirescross wires of the adjacentgroups of wires, and then bending further outof said plane the portions of the wires previously bent out of saidplane.

4. The method of forming rectilinear bends in end portions of wiresextending parallelly in the same plane in groups from a block of a wirespring relay comb, which comprises bending end portions of wires of thegroups of such a comb about 30' out of the plane of the wires, bending,the wires in parallel directions through substantially 90 in said planeproceeding from one edge of the grm l sthrough the groups at points atwhich the end portion of the bent wires extend to the adjacent groups ofwires, and then bending the portions of the wires bent in saidfirst-recited step about 60 further out of said plane.

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